Palouse Seniors Spring 2012

Seniors

Palouse

Cooking with love

Meet the outgoing and incoming chefs in Deary

Page 5

Long road home

Dealing with disability

Page 2

Page 3

A couple’s journey back to family

Tools at your disposal

spring

2012

2 | Friday, February 24, 2012 |

Palouse Seniors

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

ON THE COVER: Photo by Geoff Crimmins/Daily News

InterIm cook Doris Hansen, center, and Karen Monson prepare senior meals at the Deary Community Center on Feb. 15.

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Geoff Crimmins/Daily News

Mary and Bob Langdon recently moved to Pullman from Hansville, Wash., to be closer to their daughter Megan Wiley.

A long road home Couple discusses compelling reasons to move near the kids

By Vera White Daily News staff writer

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Mary and Bob Langdon are part of a constant migration of seniors who are compelled, usually by health problems, to leave their familiar surroundings to live near their adult children. In their case, it was because 74-year-old Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago.

“The progression had been slow but it is advancing now so we decided to move to Pullman to be close to my daughter,” said Mary, 72.

The Langdons moved to Pullman last August from Hansville, Wash., on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Daughter Meghan Wiley from Mary’s first marriage has lived in Pullman since 1994 and is general manager of the Holiday Inn Express.

Tom Redinger, Meghan’s “long time significant other,” runs a heating and plumbing company in Moscow.

Meghan is a graduate of the Hotel and Restaurant Program at Washington State University.

The Langdons, both divorced, met on his sailboat through mutual friends. They were married in 2000.

“We were both retired — me from teaching elementary school in Puyallup and Bob as a

sales engineer living in Des Moines outside Seattle,” Mary explained.

As Bob’s Alzheimer’s started to accelerate, Mary made the decision to move to Pullman.

“By then Bob couldn’t drive and I was concerned that if something happened to me he needed to have someone there to take care of him,” she said. “We wanted to be in a small town and have the advantages of the university.”

Mary has two other daughters — Susan who lives in Lake Stevens, Wash., and Elizabeth of Walnut Creek, Calif. There are six grandchildren. Bob has one son by his first marriage.

“All three of my daughters went to school at WSU, so we are very familiar with it,” Mary said. “We’re finding Pullman everything we’d hoped it would be and more.”

The Langdons bought a home on Capri Court and are settling in nicely.

“This has pretty much become home for Bob as I don’t know how much he remembers about our other home,” she said.

Mary continues to enjoy good health and at this point is still able to manage.

“My daughter is there for me if I need her, and she has been wonderful,” Mary boasted. “If I’m gone more than a couple of hours I take Bob with me. We are pretty much together 24/7.”

See HOME, Page 3

Accessibility and technology D isability happens. home when driving isn’t an It can happen to option. anyone at any time, Accessible sidewalks and but aging increases the businesses mean still odds. being able to meet In the U.S., individufriends for coffee or get als have a 45 percent to the doctor’s office. chance of having a disCaptioning and ability between the ages relay services mean of 65 and 75, a 65 perbeing able to undercent chance during the stand the TV and next decade, and living phone calls if you can’t beyond 85 increases hear them anymore.

Krista chances of having a disAccess to the right Kramer ability to 85 percent. piece of assistive Creating accessible technology can mean environments at home autonomy and safety. can dramatically reduce the And support from someone effect of a disability on living who has had similar experilife to the fullest. ences and has already figured Homes that have an accesout a set of coping strategies sible entrance and bathroom, can make the adjustment to a and sleeping space on the main new disability much easier. floor, mean you can recuperate Disability Action Centerat home rather than in a nurs- Northwest’s mission is to ing home. foster attitudes, policies, and It means the in-laws can environments of equality and still come to Thanksgiving freedom for people with disdinner when they can’t climb abilities of all ages. DAC-NW stairs anymore. works throughout Regions I & Accessible transportation II in Idaho and Whitman and means not being isolated at Asotin Counties.

We provide information and referral related to disability issues and services, individual and systems advocacy, peer counseling, independent living skills training, assistive technology services, and personal assistance services for people wanting to directly hire and manage personal assistants.

DAC-NW is also hosting a workshop series on starting micro businesses for people with disabilities.

DAC-NW advocates for access to medical coverage for people with disabilities, removing disincentives for returning to work, deinstitutionalization, and creating accessible housing, transportation and communities.

We also assist individuals who need guidance navigating the complexities of disability resource systems. When disability related questions arise, call us at (208) 883-0523.

Krista Kramer is the independent living coordinator for Disability Action Center Northwest, 505 N. Main St., Moscow.

This year’s columnist: Krista Kramer, DAC-NW Palouse Seniors offers free column space to non-profit groups on the Palouse to showcase their efforts.

This year, Krista Kramer, independent living coordinator for Disability Action CenterNorthwest in Moscow, will write. She is also a Medicaid infrastructure grant coordinator.

DAC-NW, 505 N. Main St., also has offices in Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston at 307 19th St., Suite A1. More than nine people work in the Moscow office, plus part-time people, one working from home and volunteers.

“We do payroll for about 85 personal assistants,” Kramer said.

Kramer describes DAC-NW as a “non-profit, non-residential, cross-disability, consumercontrolled organization that provides an array of independent living services to encourage full participation in all aspects of community life.”

Kramer lives in Moscow and has worked for DAC-NW since 1993. She was born with a visual impairment that resulted in spending her early years with just enough vision not to run into the big stuff.

She also served an internship at the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind where the sign language immersion experience opened new doors.

“My particular specialty is assistive technology for people with hearing impairments

— amplified phones, assistive listening systems, and video communication options for example,” she explained.

Kramer has a master’s in rehabilitation counseling: deafness and is a certified assisted technology practitioner.

DAC-NW’S primary funding comes from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education.

Reverse Mortgage

– Vera White

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Home from Page 2

with me. We are pretty much together 24/7.”

Both the Langdons are interested in WSU sports and always have season tickets for basketball games. They traveled extensively after they were married hitting such places as Antarctica, South America.

Australia and Russia.

Although packing up and moving was a difficult venture,

| Friday, February 24, 2012 | 3

arriving in Pullman was “the frosting on the cake.”

“Everyone has been so friendly and helpful here,” Mary said. “I would love to start doing some volunteer work.”

The Langdons have given up exotic travel for leisurely drives around the Palouse.

“At this point in time, our life is pretty quiet,” Mary said.

Vera White can be reached at (208) 746-0646, or by email to vnwhite@cableone.net

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4 | Friday, February 24, 2012 |

Palouse Seniors

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

New chef serving seniors in Deary Jill Whitcomb replaces Teri Gaylord after resignation

By Vera White Daily News staff writer

Doris Hansen has a lot of irons in the fire, but the 77-year-old Deary woman found time to sign on as cook at the Deary Meal Site sponsored by the Spud Hill Seniors. She replaces Teri Gaylord who resigned in January.

“I agreed to stay on until the new cook comes in the first week in April,” Hansen said.

The new chef is Jill Whitcomb of Deary. She is on an extended trip to Mexico and was unavailable for comment.

Hansen has been a SHS volunteer for several years and that includes doing some cooking, a skill she learned from her mom.

“I guess you could say my ‘specialties’ are just plain everyday cooking,” she said, quickly naming off such items as pork roast, homemade rolls and sugar cookies.

Hansen has lived in Deary most of her life. She and her late husband Bob have four children, 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She is a semi-retired beautician who still works at her shop, the HiLite in downtown Deary.

In addition to serving on the Deary City Council for the past eight years, Hansen has put in a lot of time helping with the new Brick Memory Walk in City Park.

“I do a lot of volunteer work on the side, bowl and anything else to keep busy,” she said with the hint of a chuckle.

But working with seniors seems to be at the top of her list when it comes to volunteering.

“I think working with them is a worthwhile cause and more than worth the time you put into it,” Hansen said.

“Our volunteer help is great and we couldn’t run the site without it.”

The SHS can order free food from

Geoff Crimmins/Daily News

Interim cook Doris Hansen serves meals to seniors at Deary Community Center. the Idaho Food Bank but money is still needed for groceries, meat, insurance and to pay the new cook. The group

depends on meal donations and the See CHEF, Page 5

Palouse Seniors

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Chef

from Page 4 occasional fund-raiser.

Hansen is donating her services for the next few weeks.

Jody Smith, who has lived in Deary since 1953, is another faithful SHS volunteer. She and husband, Jerry, are semiretired farmers who live on a 160-acre spread southeast of Deary at Park. They have three children, seven grandchildren and five great-children.

“I have volunteered for the past 12 years doing everything from decorating to setting tables and occasionally cooking for the cook in charge to cleaning up,” said the 74-yearold Smith.

She also serves on the SHS board of directors. The group’s meetings are scheduled only as needed.

The Wednesday meals open with a flag salute and prayer.

The food is served at noon.

“We usually average around 30 people a week,” Smith estimated. “The charge is by donation only, but we suggest $4 per plate. We have a box by the door so no one is aware how much a person puts in.”

Sixty is the qualification age for a senior meal.

“People can bring a caregiver or guest and we suggest $5 for those meals,” she added.

Smith stressed the importance given to serving well-balanced meals.

“The work at the meal site isn’t truly work it is helping your friends and neighbors,” she concluded. “It is not a handout but mostly companionship.”

Smith previously wrote columns titled Park Patter and Quilter’s Quip for the Latah Eagle and occasionally for the Lewiston Tribune.

Vera White can be reached at (208) 746-0646, or by email to vnwhite@cableone.net.

| Friday, February 24, 2012 | 5

Cooking for seniors with love She made meals at center and at home

By Vera White Daily News staff writer

Teri Gaylord retired in January from her job as director of the Deary senior meal site. The 51-year-old had spent seven and a half years cooking for seniors.

“I fell in love with our seniors in this community and I loved my job,” Gaylord said, fighting back tears. “I will be dropping back in occasionally.”

Handout/Daily News Gaylord has lived in Deary for 22 years where husband, Doris Hansen, right, and Terri Gaylord at the Deary senior meal Garth, works as an electri- site on Feb. 8. cian. She reflected on her time at the site. she said. “My overall most to make sure I followed proper “I knew there were so many popular meal was oven-fried nutrition guidelines.” good cooks who ate at the site chicken. I always followed that turning out good down USDA requirements and then See LOVE, Page 6 home cooking was my goal,” made my own recipes off that

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Palouse Seniors

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

AARP lobbies for consumer advocate Love Utility rate hikes affecting seniors

Excerpted from an AARP news release

BOISE — On the heels of recent electric hikes in Idaho a new survey by AARP released recently found the number of Idahoans 50 or older who report difficulty paying their utility bills is now 83 percent, a 42 percent increase over 2011.

According to the survey of Idaho registered voters over 50, the number reporting extreme difficulty went from skyrocketed from 5 percent in 2011 to 48 percent in recent months, with those saying it was very difficult rose from 10 to 28 percent this year.

More than 60 percent of those surveyed felt their elected officials weren’t doing enough to help.

Precision Research Inc. con-

ducted this survey Jan. 25 to Feb. 2, and completed 1,001 interviews. A sample of this size has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent at a 95 percent confidence level, the AARP said.

“When older Idahoans have trouble paying their utility bills, they have often had to choose between paying that bill and prescriptions or groceries,” said Angela Cortez, interim state director for AARP in Idaho. “Increasing utility bills are very clearly causing a crisis in many households across Idaho, and it’s time for legislative action to help consumers.”

AARP is calling on the legislature to establish a utility consumer advocate office to represent consumers in rate hike and regulatory proceedings, creating a watchdog to help to fight unfair rate hikes (supported by more than 75 percent of those surveyed).

Idaho is the only state in

the West (and one of only a handful in the nation) without such an office.

AARP has also recently backed legislation (House Bill 554, sponsored by Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace) to shine the light on utility companies’ major expenditures and require them to take into account the effect on consumers during the planning process, a move that would provide consumers with information on the projects upfront, providing a better chance to oppose rate hikes.

“The Idaho Legislature has the opportunity to stand up for Gem State consumers buckling under utility rate hikes on both of these issues and AARP is calling on them to do just that,” added Cortez. “Idaho clearly has to level the playing field for consumers; they are losing the battle over rate hikes here, and need some help.”

The new survey can be found at: http://bit.ly/wPuymH.

from Page 5 Through the years, Gaylord has also helped out at the Kendrick senior meal site.

“I try to promote meal sites because I believe in them and think they are important,” she said.

During her time at the Deary site, Gaylord “put into play” several in-home outreach programs including delivering meals to seniors at home.

“I put that into place as soon as I started,” she explained. “I did frozen meals for a week and one hot meal on a weekly basis.”

She served up to five families a week plus some seniors

picked up their own meals. As with those eating at the site, they paid by donation.

As soon as clean up was done at the meal site, Gaylord and daughter Chelsea would deliver the meals.

In addition to their meals, seniors at the site also enjoyed special attention from Gaylord who would prepare elaborately decorated tiered cakes for events such as special anniversaries.

“I’ve also kept a photo album through the years,” she said.

“These people will always have a special place in my heart.”

Gaylord had to retire because of health issues.

Vera White can be reached at (208) 746-0646, or by email to vnwhite@cableone.net

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Friday, February 24, 2012 | 7

AARP commends For art’s sake, take great pictures of it resolution in Idaho

By Jennifer Forker Associated Press

Excerpted from an AARP news release

BOISE – Idahoans living with Alzheimer’s would fill Bronco stadium, a number that will double in 14 years.

Idaho has one of the highest death rates due to the disease in the nation and is projected to have the fifth highest increase in Alzheimer’s nationwide, yet doesn’t have a plan in place to address growing concern.

Recently, the Idaho Senate passed a resolution to move towards changing that. Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, was among the sponsors.

The Alzheimer’s Plan resolution (SCR112) was passed unanimously. The measure acknowledges the increasing seriousness of the issue in Idaho and provides legislative endorsement of the efforts of

the Idaho Alzheimer’s Planning Group to develop a statewide plan to address the issue.

“Alzheimer’s disease and dementia affect not just the individual, but their families and their loved ones – we need a plan of attack for the worsening issue in Idaho,” said Angela Cortez, interim state director for AARP in Idaho.

“AARP Idaho commends the legislative sponsors of this resolution and will continue to work with all the stakeholders to ensure Idaho addresses these issues,” she said.

The AARP-backed resolution was co-sponsored by Sens. Schmidt and Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, and in the House by Reps. Carlos Bilbao, R-Emmett, John Rusche, D-Nez Perce, and Fred Wood, R-Burley.

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Pictures from Page 7

says Koh. “It’s never going to be a flattering shot.”

If you’re photographing your wares inside, put your back to a window, with the photo subject facing the outdoor light.

Outside, skip the picturesque park for the parking lot.

“Grass sucks up sunlight. It bounces green,” says Koh. “We end up looking darker in the photo than what we actually see.”

The gray tones of gravel and cement, on the other hand, provide a neutral color that bounces up flattering light and fills in shadows on artwork.

William Dohman, who sells wooden signs and scenic images at his store, Oh Dier, at the online marketplace Etsy.com, is an architect and self-taught photographer who plans each photo shoot in his St. Paul, Minn., studio. Dohman likes to photograph his products in front of old buildings, which

imbue his images with texture and color. But don’t overuse those backgrounds, he warns; it can look busy.

Heidi Adnum begins with lighting in her book, “The Crafter’s Guide to Taking Great Photos” (Interweave Books, 2011). She, too, recommends natural, diffused light for product shoots, and urges crafters to learn how to work with it.

“We just see light as light until we start to understand it better,” says Adnum, of Newcastle, Australia.

Other tips from her book: n Shoot outside on a cloudy day. Shade provides naturally diffused light. n Inside, use a light tent — a box that acts as a mini-studio if shooting near a window is not possible. n If you must use artificial light, go for cheap, household lamps such as a desk lamp with an adjustable head. Make sure the bulb is white and that you diffuse the light. To diffuse light, use sheer white parchment paper or a white shower curtain.

Palouse Seniors

Appalachia’s aging rising fast

By Dan Sewell Associated Press

MT. ORAB, Ohio — It’s winter, so Donna Robirds puts on two sweaters in the morning and keeps heavy blankets handy as she sets her thermostat low and bundles up to keep her utility bill down.

At 67, with a fixed income and a $563-a-month mortgage, she lives on a tight budget. Food stamps help the retired state employee stretch her budget in this Appalachian village. So has the mild winter.

“We haven’t had the extreme cold, so it hasn’t been too bad,” she said. “I really need to watch my money. It’s going to be a struggle.”

Robirds’ daily battle is being played out across the Appalachian region, which stretches through 13 states from northeastern Mississippi

to southern New York. A part of the country that has long lagged behind the rest of the U.S. economically finds itself on the leading edge of a national trend: The number of Americans 65 and older is increasing, and many are struggling as services are being cut in a rough economy.

Nationally, with the aging of the baby boom generation, people 65 and over are expected to account for 1 of every 5 Americans by 2030. Some places in Appalachia have already reached it, such as southern Ohio’s Brown County.

“These counties are like the canary in the coal mine,” said Suzanne Kunkel, who heads the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University of Ohio. “This is a pretty dramatic change coming.”

More than 15 percent of Appalachia’s population is

already at least 65, compared with 13 percent nationally, according to the 2010 Census.

And projections show the number rising steadily in much of the region, as it is nationally.

The aging population means more demand for health care, economic help, transportation and home help, which are already in short supply in much of Appalachia.

“It’s getting more urgent in the number of people needing those services and having those available to them,” said Robert Roswall, commissioner of West Virginia’s Bureau of Senior Services. “We have people waiting for all those type of programs.”

Appalachia has long been plagued by isolation, poor roads, sewer systems and other infrastructure needs, lack of education and the decline of coal mining, manufacturing and other key industries.

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Friday, February 24, 2012 | 9

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Insecticidal soap is sprayed on an orchid plant in order to kill scale insects in New Paltz, N.Y.

Plant Rx: Wash well behind the leaves

By Lee Reich

Associated Press

For centuries, savvy gardeners used soap sprays to combat bugs.

Andrew Jackson Downing, a gardening celebrity of the 19th century (who would have designed New York City’s Central Park if his life had not been cut short in a steamboat accident), wrote in 1845 that a “wash of soft soap is very good for many purposes ... penetrates all the crevices where insects may be lodged, destroying them.”

Then, DDT and other harder-hitting, longer-lasting pesticides developed during World War II left soaps on the sidelines.

Yet here we are in the more environmentally conscious 21st century, and soap sprays are back in vogue — for the same reasons they fell out of favor.

Soaps biodegrade quickly and are relatively nontoxic to most creatures (including us).

Pests on plants don’t always warrant calling out the sprayer, but when spraying is needed, soap may do the trick.

You could just douse your

rose bushes with leftover, soapy wash water, an aphid remedy once popular among British gardeners. Or you could use soap more deliberately, dissolving some tincture of green soap or Ivory soap shavings into water to make up your own mix.

Add 1 to several tablespoons of soap per gallon of water, or enough to make suds. Test a little of the solution to make sure it won’t damage the plant as well as the bugs. Don’t expect consistent results, though, because washing soaps vary in composition. (Note soaps and detergents are not equivalent; soap is one kind of detergent, but all detergents are not soaps.)

These days, you can buy soaps specially formulated for garden use. Garden soaps, like washing soaps, are made by combining naturally occurring fats with an alkali such as sodium or potassium. Advantages of modern garden soaps come from choosing fats and alkalis.

Soaps act by disrupting cell membranes, and depending on the formulation, those membranes might be those of insects, weeds or disease-causing organisms.

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Palouse Seniors

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Colonoscopy cuts colon cancer death risk

By Alicia Chang Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Millions of people have endured a colonoscopy, believing the dreaded exam may help keep them from dying of colon cancer. For the first time, a major study offers clear evidence that it does.

Removing precancerous growths spotted during the test can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half, the study suggests. Doctors have long assumed a benefit, but research hasn’t shown before that removing polyps would improve survival — the key measure of any cancer screening’s worth.

Some people skip the test because of the unpleasant steps need to get ready for it.

“Sure, it’s a pain in the neck. People complain to me all the time, ‘It’s horrible.

W

It’s terrible,”’ said Dr. Sidney Winawer, a gastroenterologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York who helped lead the study.

“But look at the alternative.”

A second study in Europe found that colonoscopies did a better job of finding polyps than another common screening tool — tests that look for blood in stool. Both studies were published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the fourth worldwide. More than 143,000 new cases of cancers of the colon or rectum are expected in the U.S. this year and nearly 52,000 people will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

Deaths from colorectal cancer have been declining for

Health n a m h it

more than two decades, mostly because of screening including colonoscopies and other tests, the organization says. People of average risk of colon cancer ages 50 to 75 should get screened, but only about half in the U.S. do.

A government-appointed panel of experts recommends one of three methods: annual stool blood tests; a sigmoidoscopy (scope exam of the lower bowel) every five years, plus stool tests every three years; or a colonoscopy once a decade.

In a colonoscopy, a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera is guided through the large intestine. Growths can be snipped off and checked for cancer.

Patients are sedated, but many dread the test because it requires patients to eat a modified diet and drink solutions the day before to clear out the bowel. It usually costs

and Rehabilitati

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more than $1,000, compared with a $20 stool test.

Researchers at SloanKettering previously showed that removing polyps during colonoscopy can prevent colon cancer from developing, but it was not clear whether it saved lives.

The new study followed 2,602 patients who had precancerous growths removed during colonoscopies for an average of 15 years. Their risk of dying from colon cancer was 53 percent lower than what would be expected among a similar group in the general population — 12 patients followed in the study died, versus 25 estimated deaths in the general population.

The study was not a randomized trial that’s the gold See COLON, Page 11

Associated Press

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Deaths from colon cancer have dropped possibly because polyps found during screening are removed before they can develop into cancer.

Colon cancer death rate, per 100,000 people 35 30

30.3

25 20

16.4

15 10 5 0 1960 ’70

’80

’90

’00

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

’08 AP

COLON CANCER DEATHS 022212: Graphic shows death rates for colon cancer by decade since 1960; 1c x 4 inches; with related story; FD; ETA 5 p.m.

Panel: All adults should get whooping cough shots

By Mike Stobbe

Whitman Health and Rehabilitation Center is a 55-bed skilled nursing facility located in Colfax, WA next to Whitman Hospital and Medical Center. We’re proud to offer the following services:

Colon cancer deaths

ATLANTA — A federal advisory panel wants all U.S. adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough.

The panel voted Wednesday to expand its recommendation to include all those 65 and older who haven’t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult.

Children have been vaccinated against whooping cough since the 1940s, but a vaccine for adolescents and adults was not licensed until 2005.

Since then, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has gradually added groups of adults to its recommendations, including 2010 advice that it be given to elderly people who spend a lot of time around infants.

Wednesday’s recommendation means now all adults should get at least one dose.

“They’ve been moving up

toEditor’s this Note: in baby steps,” said It is mandatory to Dr. William a include all sourcesSchaffner, that accompany Vanderbilt University vaccines this graphic when repurposing or expert. editing it for publication Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that in rare cases can be fatal.

It leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath.

Recommendations from the panel are usually adopted by the government, which sends the guidance out to doctors.

Contributing to the push to vaccinate more adults was a California whooping cough epidemic in 2010 that infected 9,000. Ten babies died after exposure to infected adults or older children.

There’s little data on how many elderly people have gotten the vaccine. Only about 8 percent of adults under 65 have been vaccinated, but about 70 percent of adolescents have.

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standard in medical research.

But Robert Smith, director of screening at the American Cancer Society, said it’s the first direct evidence that removing polyps can reduce the risk of colon cancer death.

“There’s no question that these are findings that we can take to the bank,” said Smith, who had no role in the research.

The National Cancer Institute and several cancer organizations paid for the study.

Government and private cancer groups also funded the second study in the journal, led by researchers in Spain.

About 53,000 participants were given a colonoscopy or a stool blood test.

Both tests found similar numbers of colon cancer cases — about 30 in each group.

However, colonoscopies found advanced growths in twice as many people — 514 versus 231 of those given the stool test. Colonoscopy also found 10 times more people with less serious growths than the stool test did.

Neither test proved very appealing — only a quarter of patients offered a colonoscopy had one. Similarly, only a third agreed to the offered stool test.

The Spanish study is continuing and similar research in the U.S. and Norway that began recently is looking at the long-term impacts of colo-

| Friday, February 24, 2012 | 11A noscopy.

Stephen Raquet, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., finds the test reassuring even if the preparation is unpleasant.

He had his first colonoscopy 13 years ago at age 41, earlier than usual because of a family history of colon cancer.

The sudden death of his 45-year-old sister from the disease prompted Raquet to get checked out. He had a precancerous growth removed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in 1999, and has had the test every three years since.

During his last appointment four months ago, doctors said he can come back in five years.

“It’s given me peace of mind,” said the 54-year-old business executive.

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